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International Fashion Bloggers X Ministry of Retail II

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More collaborations with international fashion bloggers coming up :) See how these fashionistas style their outfits with Ministry of Retail items and how they mix and match in ways you probably wouldn’t think of.

Here’s a compilation of the latest features from international fashion bloggers:


Black White Slim Fit Blazer (S$48.80)
See the full entry on Tamara’s blog here: BIG TRIO: metallic & leopard & neon

We’re really impressed with how fashion blogger pieced together such a fashionable outfit with lots of bold and loud prints and still manage to emerge sane. What with leopard prints, metallic, neon pink, lime green! Top it off with ‘black white slim fit blazer’ which helps to tone down the look and add a touch of elegance. If you have dresses with loud prints, why not pair it with a blazer like this?


Checkered Desert Blouse (S$42.80)
See the full entry on Kryz Uy’s blog here: Plaid and Red

These fashionistas are really good and bold in coming up with their outfit. Who knew that pairing a checkered blouse like ‘Checkered Desert Blouse’ with a red peplum skirt could turn out this amazing? Alternatively if you don’t have a peplum skirt, opt for our ‘Passion Red Skorts‘.


Mesh Net Skirt (S$39.80)
See the full entry on Alexandra Catherine’s blog here: In a Pinch

This outfit that Alexandra Catherine put together reminded us of a ballerina. We love how she paired the high-waist midi length mint green/blue netted skirt with an earth coloured tube bustier. With a clever twist of hair (messy bun), this makes for a great look for the weekends!


Lilac Ruffles Dress (S$42.80)
See the full entry on Lynne Gabriel’s blog here: Lavender Rains

In love with pastels? Take a leaf from blogger Lynne Gabriel’s books and incorporate these colours into your outfit: sweet pink, pale purple/lavender, mint green. Not forgetting a lovely necklace such as ‘D Roses Diamond Necklace‘.

International Fashion Bloggers X Ministry of Retail

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Many of you have told us that you like visiting Ministry of Retail online fashion store not just to check out and shop for new arrivals but also to get inspirations on outfit matching and pairing. That set us thinking on how best we can display more ways of wearing a particular design and an idea came to our mind – what’s better than having fashion bloggers parade the pieces?

Here’s a compilation of the latest features from international fashion bloggers:


Little Velvet Dress (S$45.80)
See the full entry on Camille’s blog here: Lost Little Girl

Think velvet is only for formal occasions? Think again. Take a leaf from Camille’s book the next time you “run out” of clothes to wear on lazy Sunday. She literally just wore this dress, grabbed whatever accessories she saw and was out of the door.

We love just how rich and soft the velvet fabric feels. If you’re wearing this for a D&D, try pairing it with neon coloured velvet-texture accesories and heels.


Mrs Addams Slit Long Dress (S$40.80)
See the full entry on Jen Tam’s blog here: Easy Chic

What can else we say about the fabulous styling of Mrs Addams Slit Long Dress done by Jen? WE LOVE IT! Take heed from blogger Jen and pair this with a bold scarf, a pretty black belt with detailing, heels and bag in matching colour and twisting your hair into a chignon. Alternatively, if you have a bolder belt, pair it with a smaller/shorter piece of scarf tying it just at the neck area (think Stewardess).


Lace Sleeves Peplum Top (S$45.80)
See the full entry on Jen Tam’s blog here: Canary

It seems that pairing this lace sleeves peplum top with a sleek black pants is a well-loved way. We love how the cutting of this top brought out the curves and the bold necklace enhanced it further. Alternatively, pair this with a sleek milky white pencil skirt (make sure colour matches otherwise skip white) – as if you’re wearing a peplum style dress!


Hollow Airy Tunic-Dress (S$38.80)
See the full entry on Alexandra Catherine’s blog here: All That Glitters

This is a piece all of us kept for ourselves – a casual and chic piece. Hitting the mall? Skip the tee and slippers. Take inspiration from Alexandra, push up the sleeves, grab a thick bangle, nice sling handbag and sandals. Alternatively, we also like to swap the white inner piece with a bright neon piece and pair it with a slim belt. Have it your way :)
p.s: Mad love the golden sunshine of Canada!


Hollow Airy Tunic-Dress (S$38.80) and Hood in the Night Coat (S$72.80)
See the full entry on Alyssa’s blog here: My head is a jungle

Have we already mentioned swapping the inner piece? This is what fashion blogger Alyssa did. If you’re adventurous, pair it with an inner piece with loud prints or even bralet and a matching skirt. Experiencing rather eccentric weather that blows hot and cold (unfortunately it might never get cold enough in tropical Singapore)? Put on a chic winter coat when you’re outdoors and shed it when you’re indoor.


The Blue Maxi Dress (S$45.50)
See the full entry on Khatu’s blog here: Maxed Out
Simply elegant! Lazy to dress up on Sundays? Attending a wedding ceremony in the day with a relaxed dress code? Opt for the blue maxi dress.We like how blogger Khatu styled her maxi dress – Simply pull back your hair into a sleek ponytail, put on a pair of elegant looking pearl earrings and slip into a pair of comfortable leather sandals (yay – let your feet rest on weekends!).

 

Wondering what to wear? Wonder no more.
p.s: If you are keen to work with us for styling and other collaborations, drop us an email at more@ministryofretail.com :)

5 factors to consider when choosing which earring design to buy.

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Psst… do you know that you can tell a girl’s personality by the earrings she wear?

Ladies wearing ear studs in the shape of animals are usually animal-lovers (big giveaway!), earrings in the form of flower speaks of femininity. Diamond speaks of sophistication while funky mismatched earrings speaks of style, attitude and a desire to be unique.

Besides revealing little nitty-gritty details about you, picking the right pair can enhance your facial features.

Here are some factors which you should consider in picking the right pair of earrings:
1. The Shape of Your FaceThe earrings you pick can have a subtle effect on enhancing your face shape. If you have round shape and full face, choose earrings with lean, long and angular curved lines as it will help to elongate and add a little angle to your face. Drop earrings in dangles, ovals or oblongs make good choices. Square and rectangular earrings are good too. Avoid small studs, hoops and chunky large earrings.

If your face shape is the classic oval (woo hoo, like Megan Fox’s!), good news – almost any style or earrings will do. Experiment with different styles and see what looks good on your face. Test out with studs, ovals, teardrops, spirals or danglings. Avoid wearing incredibly long and thin shapes as they will pull you down.

For heart shape faces, pick earrings that begin with a point and ends with a wider bottom – pyramids, tear drops, chandeliers or triangles. Circle and oval earrings will work with your face shape as long as they are not wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Avoid heart shapes (it’s wide on top, narrow at the bottom) or very short dangling earrings.

Megan Fox oval face shape

L-R: Kirsten Dunst (Round Face Shape), Megan Fox (Oval Face Shape), Jennifer Aniston (Heart-shaped Face)

2. Your hair length matters

Good news for ladies with short hair, you will be able to show off longer dangle and chandelier style earrings. You can also opt to wear dramatic earrings. However, remember the basic fashion rule, show off 1 item on you at a time. If your dramatic earrings is the emphasis of your outfit, play down on the details of your dress and your other jewelry.

For ladies with long hair, no worries. Long hair gives you versatility. If you’d like to wear dangling earrings, pull your hair into a ponytail or bun it up. The last thing you want is for the pretty earrings to disappear behind or worse, entangle with your hair. If you’re keeping your hair down, opt for a simple large button or loop earrings.

L-R: Yoon Eun Hye (starred in popular Korean dramas like Coffee Prince and Goong), Jang Seo Hee’s (starred in the Korean Drama, Temptation of a Wife), Lee Young Ae (starred in palace-style Korean drama Dae Jang Geum)

3. Outfit – What Will You Be Wearing?
Remember the basic fashion rule of the thumb. If you’re wearing colourful or patterned outfit, wear simple earrings. If your dress is in a single colour, you can opt for more dramatic earrings (make earrings the focal point of your outfit) but make sure the colour of your earrings and dress matches or else it’ll result in a fashion disaster nonetheless.

4.  Matching jewelries

If you’re wearing dramatic necklace or hairpiece, choose simple earrings. This will give the focal point due emphasis and your accessories will not be fighting with one another for attention.


SNSD (So Nyuh Shi Dae) aka Girls’ Generation member, Jessica Jung, made the flower piece the focal point of her outfit and played down on the earrings. Her blouse is in a similar red/pink tone whereas the other accessories are of an antique gold shade.

5. Display Your Personality

Last but definitely not the least, fashion is all about self expression and exuding your personal style. Hence pick a pair that you feel will display your personality and personal style best.

 

Crystal earrings now available on Ministry of Retail.com.
Shopping online for earrings? Hope this guide helped you. Can’t locate a piece you fancy in this post? Email us at more@ministryofretail.com.

What kind of dinner dress should you wear for your company’s annual dinner & dance (D&D)?

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It’s November and the year is coming to an end soon, what does this mean? Holidays, year-end bonuses, company shut-down period… the annual Dinner & Dance (D&D) affair is here again! You’re at the right place if your reply is “oh no, not again… what kind of dinner dress should I wear?”

You have to maintain your image and impression as it’s a corporate function afterall. Dressing will depend on your company’s culture, the location (hotel? restaurant? office?) and most importantly, the theme of the night.

Here’s a mini survival guide (for ladies, sorry gentleman) to your company’s D&D. The suggestions here are dresses or other clothing you can wear everyday for work or play. If you were to buy a costume, most likely you’ll have to chuck it in your wardrobe after wearing it once.

Some common dinner & dance (D&D) themes and suggestions on dressing:

Dress up as mafia (gangster)

1. Gangster / Mafia Dressing Theme

This theme is all about playing the bad guy, looking tough and smelling of money filth. Material worn has to be stiff, clothing have to be fitting and of good cut, preferably with buttons – think trench coat, suits, tie, tights skirts.

For ladies, you can go for a few styles depending on your personality. Get a vest and a short skirt + fish net stockings, wear a trenchcoat or trench style dress with Charlie Chaplain’s style hat. If you prefer pants, wear a jumper, jump suit or pant suit and top it off with a hat.

p.s: These are costumes and they all happen to be in stripes, solid colours will do too.

The key is to accessorise, clutch, sunglasses, hats, guns, cigars, ties and obi belts are your best friend.

 

2. Greek (Grecian) / Romantic Roman Style

Tasked to dress up as a Grecian or Roman? Usually you can dress up for this theme with a low budget. Material of your dress (you can also DIY!) should be soft and flowy (i.e chiffon or cotton), clothing should drape easily. If you want to play safe wear white and gold (gold is essential!) and toga style dresses. Shoes should be open-toe or sandal style. Tie a gold thread at the back of your heels or sandals and criss-cross it across your calf. Pick a braided gold headband or hairband (those with golden flowers or leaves will do too).

3. Retro / Disco Dress-up

Another common theme is retro or disco. Think a-go-go style dresses, prints and even white polka dots. Depending on whether you want to look funky, elegant or classy:

4. Hollywood Glamour

If the party is held at a hotel and you’re not expected to be in gowns and tuxedos, follow this guide. Else you may need to rent a gown and some gloves. Similar luxurious/royal themes include Las Vegas, Red Carpet or Casino Royale. Most ladies would wear black, I can guarantee you that. Safe picks include black (this is not just safe but very boring), maxi dresses and long dresses. Want to be more adventurous or be in the limelight? Pick these:

Not sure which dress would be suitable for your D&D? Don’t worry, with Ministry of Retail’s return policy, you can return the unsuitable pieces for an exchange or a refund in credits. Need help with a D&D theme? Email us with your theme and measurements at more@ministryofretail.com.

Style Alert: How to Pull Off The Maxi Skirt – Korean Style, Or Not…

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Before the term ‘ maxi skirts‘ was coined, ladies were already wearing it (except it looked less glamourous then). Remember this style (bohemian-like) of skirt? It was mainly wore with a plain basic white crew neck tee then.

And then maxi skirt started to get really popular in Korea, during summer (no prize for guessing the reason). From A-line to straight cuts, cotton to chiffon and more, loud solids vs prints, almost all the online stores carry at least 1 style of maxi skirt.

Not sure how to wear maxi skirt? Here’s a simple guide on how to pull off that maxi skirt, be it korean style or not.

1. Go Casual – the koreans love this

By nature, maxi skirt (like maxi dress) is very eye-catching. For a casual Saturday or lazy Sunday look, play down the attention with a cropped sweatshirt. (p.s: this works for maxi dresses too)

This is no maxi skirt or dress (it’s around knee or midi length, actually) but you can take inspiration from this piece and put on a loose fitting top (pair it with a slim statement belt to accentuate your waist).

Sweatshirt, maxi skirt, loafers – the perfect combination for a sunny Singapore Sunday afternoon.

2. Belt it up

Want to glam up your maxi skirt a little? Cover that waist line with a thick belt. Thin belt wouldn’t look good, plus you’ll have to constantly battle to keep the slim belt where you want it to be. Not sure of the colour for your belt? Learn from the koreans. Don’t risk looking like a Christmas tree. If your maxi skirt is not black, opt for a shade that’s darker than that. Alternatively, follow your top’s colour. When opting for the same colour, choose something of a different texture (e.g. leather belt vs chiffon blouse). If you dare, experiment with colours like gold and silver. If the look below is too safe for you, opt for a gold leather obi belt.

A time to put your obi belt to good use.

3. Color blocking

Spice up your maxi skirt with some colours. Safe colour combinations include grey-white-pink, black-white-grey. Alternatively, ditch these and learn from the experts. I love bright colours and especially Gucci’s Spring 2011 colours:

4. Button up

Wearing a buttons blouse instantly glams up any cotton maxi skirt and transforms it into a smart casual essential. You can also go for cropped blouse (or even tied-up button-up blouse) for the extra chic-ness with a high-waisted maxi skirt. Chiffon (instead of cotton) blouses work better with cotton maxi skirt. Opt for a chiffon button blouse of quality.


We’re imagining that white chiffon blouse (on the right) paired with the black maxi skirt and obi belt (on the left).

5. Pushing the corporate limits

Thinking of wearing that maxi skirt to the office? If you’re unsure of your office’s dresscode, don’t push the limit. Else, keep this piece to casual Fridays. Yes it may be called CASUAL Friday but your boss ain’t expecting jeans and tees (and don’t point to your colleagues as an excuse). Make your maxi skirt fit for work by skipping the cotton pieces (chiffon maxi skirt would be better) and pairing it with a blazer or a smart looking jacket.

Alternatively, opt for straight-cut no-nonsense black maxi skirt and pair it with a crisp white shirt, black blazer and a quality slim belt.

At Ministry of Retail, we dare you to experiment with styles. If the item you bought is not suitable, you can return it for an exchange or a refund in credits under our ‘change of mind’ returns policy. Can’t locate a piece you fancy in this post? Email us at more@ministryofretail.com.

Black Dress for the 3 Common Occasions

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Corporate Shirt-Dress from MinistryofRetail.comOff You Go from MinistryofRetail.com

What’s there not to love? Besides the slimming effect, it’s a very versatile piece. Dress up by complementing it with pretty jewelry and accessories – a simple black party dress can be transformed into a gorgeous evening dress. Put on a smart black jacket with some simple accessories, the same dress can be a presentable piece for daytime work wear.

Following our previous fashion blog post on ‘The staple statement – black dress’, here’s a follow-up post to showcase the different styles you can choose from. It’s best to not always get dresses from one kind of category (e.g. casual style) so you have dresses that caters to a variety of occasion. Perhaps this is one of the reason why most ladies (we’re not spared either) open their almost-bursting wardrobe and complain they have “nothing to wear”. Yes, there may be many dresses and clothing in the wardrobe but perhaps they are of the same genre so you may feel that there’s “nothing to wear”.

Roman Goddess Maxi Dress from MinistryofRetail.comSashay Tube Maxi Dress from MinistryofRetail.com

There are many ways to category dresses, by length, by cutting, by occasion, by material, etc. Let’s just focus on occasion for this post. If you’ll like us to categorise it in other ways, do drop us an email (more@ministryofretail.com) or Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ministryofretail) message.

1. Casual Style

How to identify dresses of this category? Simple. Look at the material, it’s usually stretchable cotton material. Length wise, it’s usually short (with the exception of some midi and maxi dress). Casual style clothing are usually basics (think tank, spaghetti and racerback) that allows layering.

If you find that you have a lot of dresses that fit the above description, it may mean you have too many of casual style dresses. You may be thinking you have “nothing to wear” when you are looking for a dress for work, cocktail party or more formal occasion. Time to cut down on dresses from this category and work on the others.

LBD from MinistryofRetail.com

2. Dressy Casual

Going for lunch/dinner at some restaurants? Most likely the attire appropriate would be dressy casual (read: no slippers, shorts and tees). Material wise most likely your pick would have to be chiffon, lycra or fabric with elastane. Go for cutting that you like, be it simple or funky.
Peplum Style from MinistryofRetail.comBlack Party Maxi Dress from MinistryofRetail.com

3. Day-to-day Work Wear / Smart Casual

Although different company, country and occupation may require different dress code, it is always good to pay attention to your dressing. It only takes 3 seconds for someone to form a lasting first impression of you and another 10-20 more impressions to undo that first impression. If your boss or superior sees you in jeans and too-short skirts (looks casual and relaxed), they may have the impression you are someone who is laidback and lacks the drive. What you deem as dressing comfortably may affect your promotion and pay rise (oh dear!).

For day-to-day office wear, you should be choosing smart casual pieces. This means most likely you don’t have to be in pant suit, skirt suit or have a jacket on. If your workplace encourages female employees to wear skirts (perhaps to project a feminine image), forget pants, opt for dresses and skirts!

For smart casual pieces, choose from polyester material (try to avoid cotton, please). Length wise it should be appropriate (no super-mini length) but does not necessary have to hit the knees. If slits and details on the back are inappropriate for your workplace, you might want to put on a matching cardigan or jacket.

Don't Look Back Corporate Dress from MinistryofRetail.comDon't Look Back Corporate Dress from MinistryofRetail.com

The Black OL Dress from MinistryofRetail.com

Have you identified the category of black dress you’re lacking? No more excuse to open your wardrobe and declare “I can’t find anything to wear”!

**All items featured in this post are from Singapore’s Online Korean fashion retailer, MinistryofRetail.com.**
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What is your FRUIT?

OK. Don’t get me wrong but I am referring to your body figure/shape/size, and trust me, not many of us are aware of that.

When I look at the beautiful models on magazines (and even those on MinistryofRetail.com), I often slip into a daydream mode and imagine myself to be as stunning as the model (able to relate, anyone?). However, as harsh as the reality is, we turn out to be total opposite (imagine the disappointment the popped bubble) and we may start to go into this self-denial mode but the actual problem may not lay in the models, the clothes or ourselves – it could just be that the particular design/fabric is not flattering for our body shape.

Pear and Apple shape

By “what is your fruit”, it means whether you know what your body frame, body shape and body size is? What should you know? This is so in order to bring out your own personality, or in other words: PERSONAL STYLE.

You may see a lot of classifications elsewhere but in this article, we’ll keep things simple and use 2 common fruits: The Pear & the Apple.

The Pear

As illustrated in the picture above, ladies with ‘pear’ body shape has more weight around the hips and bottoms area. Thus, to balance the look, they need to look for clothing that can elongate their figure and take the focus off this area. Wearing dark colours and slim cuts helps in trimming down the bottoms (think dark jeans or A-line skirt). If you are wearing a dress, pairing it with a belt (make sure you wear your belt slightly higher up your waistline, not at the hips area as you don’t want to draw more attention there) helps. Hard to visualize? Look at the ensemble we’ve prepared for you using these Korean clothing:

Flowy Blouse

Try something new like this fun colour to draw attention away from your bottoms if you're a pear shape!

Strings Attached Cardigan

If you're not that bold, try using a scarf to get all the attention to your face. As you can see, if you're of 'pear' shape. Always direct attention away from the bottom area.

Note: Direct attention to your tops using fun colours/prints or even details at the neck area.

Make use of jackets, as jackets give more structure to the shoulder and have interesting details around the neckline. Choose a jacket that the length is long enough to reach below your hips.

Black Cop Coat

Remember to choose a jacket with lots of details, such as the Black Cop Coat, which has lots of gold buttons and zipper details.

Pumpkin Blazer

Blazer with hip length are ideal for Pear shape.

If you have beautiful shoulders, SHOW THEM OFF! Remember, you want to focus your attentions towards the top, not the bottom. Keeping it simple on the bottom and you are free to play around with the top and accessories!

Autumn Goddess

Fun colours and lovely details enhances your whole outlook.

Sheer Duo Tunic

Don't be afraid to use accessories, but don't over accessorise.

The Apple

Apple body shape has more weight in the upper body and their legs are usually thin which may look a little off balance. If you’re of ‘apple’ shape, it may be helpful to shift and divert the attention elsewhere, onto the bust and legs instead. For obvious reasons, avoid wearing huge pattern prints at the top but if you love prints, don’t skip them – wear them as bottoms instead!

Since you’ve got great legs. Wear short skirts or shorts with heels – you will definitely look like a knock-out! If your butt is not well defined, wear jeans with pockets. If you want to wear dress, make sure it’s of “bubble” cutting, and wear a vest over (don’t forget to belt it up). Basically, you need to know how to balance your look; top and bottom.

Take a look at these Korean dresses as a guide:

http://www.ministryofretail.com/images/Korean_Dress/D00738.jpg

Jailbird V Dress

Bubbly Chocolate Dress
Body Shape Calculator
Not sure what shape you are? Take this quiz from “Body Shape Fashion Advice” to find out!
p.s: It’s quite entertaining interesting as some of the descriptions are pretty funny.

Last Tip
Last but not least, the most precious essential tip – practise, practise, practise! As the saying goes, “practise makes perfect!”. You may want to mix and match the pieces in your wardrobe and plan the items before you actually step out of the house in them. Try out different cutting to see what suits you.

Something different, something new – you never know what you’ll find that suits you :)